The time has come. The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster the release has been built for launch FFVI. It’s a big, well-loved game and, after several other games took on it over the years, there was hope this version would do just that. Well, people need not be afraid. It perfectly does this installment justice.
FFVI is a tapestry of a game. There are 14 playable characters. We have clear heroes. Some people’s ethics can be a bit questionable. There are times when some really good people have a really bad side. And what’s particularly striking about it all is that a lot of these are well-developed. As we follow them throughout their lives, both in bad times and worse, we get to know them pretty well.
Part of that is because Square Enix has done an incredible job telling its story. After all, we start off as the villain and invade an innocent town. From there, we learn the broader scope of a war, meet the resistance movement that is fighting it, and observe the growing forces of good. The party split, then reunited. Enemies become allies. Terrible people do more and more horrible things. It is a lot to take in, but it’s all handled well. Especially considering the limitations of the vehicle at the time.
Gameplay remains unchanged. Players form a party of up to four characters. They can equip them with Relics, providing perks like protecting a dying ally or speeding up the user. There are Espers that can be equipped to increase a character’s stats and allow them to use magic and such in battle. You travel from town to town and from dungeon to dungeon around the world in the name of fighting the Gestahlian Empire and Kefka. Matches are turn-based. Some characters have special gimmicks in addition to standard attacks, such as Sabin, who can use fighting game-like Blitzes, Gau’s Monster-like Rage, and the Monster Sketch ability Relm’s animal and has the art of fighting for her. While those can be a bit odd and require a bit of extra work, they can pay off in practice.
Nice from others Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster item is present in FFVI, highly appreciated. Detailed maps are available. You can turn them off or on in locations, and even make them bigger in the underworld. Autobattle is an option. There is a CRT filter. You can also check out concept art and music from the main menu. Not to mention the character and enemy art looks great and the wallpapers look good. And of course the auto-save and quick-save features are back. The former is especially useful in cases where the player forgets to move a party member they have to defend to the back row during a battle.
There are also some liberties, well, one after another Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster item not received. Square Enix pulled a bit of an HD-2D reconstruction for the opera scene, one of its most iconic moments. Yes a boy with a voiceg, the background is in 3D and it really stands out. Additional details are appreciated. However, I will admit that it sounded a bit odd when I heard it. I suppose that comes from being used to the “performance” of the SNES and GBA. But it is a nice touch.
That brings something great about FFVI. While its story involves battling certain enemies in specific locations, it is one of the early examples of an experimental RPG with objectives. From the very beginning, you are engaged in defensive maneuvers by managing three sides to prevent the enemy from approaching a defenseless person. To travel through an occupied town under lockdown, you need to approach certain people and steal their clothes to complete specific objectives. You participate in an opera. There’s a dinner party that you have to navigate. You do housework every day. It did a lot of new and fresh things at the time. Guess what? They still feel renewed!
As with the other Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster release, FFVI has its quirks. For example, the fonts used in the user interface are still lousy. Which, considering there are six of these now, seems pretty serious. That should have been fixed by now or Square Enix should have provided an additional option. You can’t access bestiary, which can be useful in-game, unless you’re in the main menu.
I noticed a few quirks that are specific to FFVI also. For example, you can show off some of Sabin’s Blitz techniques using keyboard controls. Aura Cannon must go down, diagonally down, then left. I exclusively press down, down, left and see it register. This is also the only one Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster I played that barely loaded a save. In FFII and FFIII, I’ll see the loading banner blink once after the load save is loaded and I’m in the game. In FFVI, it flashes at least four times while the game is active before I can start playing again. Again, they’re minor quirks, with loading being even something I could imagine adjusted with a patch.
Final Fantasy VI was an incredible game when it came out in 1994, and FFVI Pixel Remaster also great. It is a great JRPG. The settings here can still feel renewed all these years later. The game still manages to attract the attention of many particularly large playable members. When you happen to have a secret, add a little more storytelling, it still feels special. There are some small quirks to this release, but it’s really lovely.
Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster available for computer and mobile devices.
